London — There’s been a lot of talk about women here. A record 4,847 women will take part in the London Olympics, women’s boxing makes its Olympic debut, and for the first time every nation will have at least one woman competing.

And for the first time, women outnumber men on the U.S. Olympic team.

“It’s all about timing, for me to grow up and have so many opportunities,” said fencer Mariel Zagunis, who will carry the flag for the U.S. team in Friday’s opening ceremonies. “And to have it be no question. It wasn’t, ‘If I will play,’ it’s, ‘What sport will I play?’ The development of women in sports is huge. I am where I am today because of the women who paved the way. They were the ones who fought for our rights.”

Scott Blackmun, chief executive of the U.S. Olympic Committee, gave credit to Title IX.

“We think that Title IX has had a great deal to do with the success of the American team,” Blackmun said. “Our women got an opportunity a little bit earlier on than a lot of nations. I think we’re seeing the results of that, in terms of how our team has done.”

Greg Johnson, Beaver Creek's director of mountain operations, was technical delegate for the men's alpine races and a member of the race jury at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. (Photo by John Meyer, The Denver Post)

Greg Johnson has been responsible for preparing many World Cup courses at Beaver Creek in recent years, from the initial snowmaking operation to grooming, safety fencing and course maintenance. He know what it’s like to direct an army of volunteers battling Mother Nature in a desperate mission to offer clean and exciting courses.

But the resort’s director of mountain operations got to see it up close at the Vancouver Olympics. Johnson was the technical delegate for the men’s alpine races and a member of the race jury.

“We definitely knew the weather would be a challenge, that wasn’t a surprise to anybody, but the team here has handled it so well,” Johnson said. “They’ve done anything that’s been asked of them, anytime of day, anytime of night — coming in at 1 o’clock in the morning, even, with hundreds of people. It’s been a fantastic thing to see. It’s really impressive. The 24-hour, around-the-clock operation is something that’s very unheard-of for organizers. The trails are lit, so they can work around the clock.”

At Beaver Creek, if there is a challenge it usually involves heavy snow that requires removal before races can be run. At Whistler there was snow, rain and warm temperatures.

“The variables are a lot greater here,” Johnson said. “You get rain, you get snow on top of corn snow that’s slush, and it does very difficult things to the snow. The snow can fall apart in just a few hours. In Colorado, the temperatures and the snowpack is so much more consistent. It doesn’t rain there. When you get weather like this, that makes it very challenging to get a great course.”

The Whistler crew got it done. Weather can produce flukey winners in ski racing, but it didn’t happen at Whistler.

“I think we’ve seen across the board extremely worthy Olympic champions, in every event, in conditions that are exceptionally difficult,” Johnson said. “A lot of other Olympic Games have had results that are more unusual. Things can be different at Olympic Games, and that has not been the case here. You’ve seen truly the best athletes in the world rise to the top here.”

Johnson had a great time, as we all did, watching exciting races and historic results.

“It’s a huge honor to be here, work on the jury and represent the sport for the FIS,” Johnson said. “As an organizer (at Beaver Creek) it’s been a privilege to see the things this group of volunteers have pulled off under such trying circumstances.”

Lindsey Vonn ended her Vancouver experience by attending the closing ceremonies (“I especially loved the moose ears”) and flew to Los Angeles that night. Monday she made appearances on Access Hollywood, Ellen and taped the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

While Americans were watching her chat with Leno — the first show of his return — Vonn was on an overnight flight to Europe to complete the World Cup season. This weekend there are speed races in Crans Montana, Switzerland. Next week the season concludes with World Cup Finals in Garmisch, Germany.

While most Americans may think the pressure is off for Vonn, there’s still a lot for her to accomplish. The next seven races will determine whether she wins her third consecutive World Cup overall title. And when the tour gets to Garmisch, Vonn’s closest pursuer in the overall chase — Germany’s Maria Riesch, a double gold medalist in Vancouver — will be competing in her home town.

Now there’s an interesting dynamic: Who has the most pressure? Vonn, who is trying to accomplish something only one American has done (Phil Mahre won three straight overall titles 1981-83)? Or Riesch, who has never done it and must desperately want to do it at home?

Leno mostly asked Vonn questions she’d already been asked and answered multiple times in Vancouver, but he did ask her about the ridiculous criticism Vonn received for her Sports Illustrated cover shoot before the Games. In that picture she’s bent over in a downhill tuck (turning her head to look at the camera) and some have preposterously claimed it is an inappropriate, sexually suggestive pose.

Vonn said she didn’t understand the criticism. Leno said he didn’t get it, either.

“I had so much fun doing that cover shoot,” Vonn said, “and I thought it turned out great.”

VANCOUVER — Vail Resorts had a surprise gift for Lindsey Vonn Saturday night at a party the company threw to celebrate her achievements in the Vancouver Olympics.

With Vonn wearing a black dress, high heels and her two medals in a tony Vancouver restaurant, chief executive Rob Katz called the Olympic downhill champion to the stage and announced that Vail’s International run had been renamed Lindsey’s. The new trail signs went up Saturday morning.

Vonn, who was taken by surprise, thanked Katz and talked about how she hopes to be a role model for children, the way Picabo Street was for her.

International was the trail used for women’s speed events at world championships in 1989 and 1999, plus many World Cup events.

VANCOUVER — OK, I’m starting to feel like Brian Burke’s press agent here. But he was also good talking about why he left off Colorado Avalance goaltender Craig Anderson from the Team USA roster:

“The debate about the third goaltender was very contentious. Craig Anderson has had a marvelous year at Colorado. He’s been terrific and his team’s been terrific because of him. So when we talked about the third goaltender position, we made the decision based on he and Jonathan Quick had comparable years.

“Colorado had a great start then a little bit of a sag and L.A. hadn’t had a sag. Then if all things were equal, we were going with the younger goaltender. Jonathan’s a guy who’s probably going to be at Sochi if the NHL goes.”

VANCOUVER — Before I moved to Denver I didn’t know hockey was played on ice. But after listening to USA Hockey general manager Brian Burke’s press conference today, I can see the NHL has a refreshingly candid air, at least on the managerial end.

I hear it’s just Burke. But on the eve of the USA-Canada gold medal game, he took the very politically incorrect, yet honest, view of the NHL’s involvement in the Olympics. Many NHL officials are against the 2 1/2-week layoff to allow NHL stars to be Olympians. Burke, the president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, took up their cause when asked if the NHL will allow players to play in Sochi in 2014.

“It’s going to be a collective bargaining position between the owners and the players. I will tell you I don’t like how it’s been characterized as (commissioner) Gary Bettman’s view. It’s not fair to Gary. I’ve been in that room where owners have stood up and said, ‘We are not going to the Olympics after this one.’

“Imagine some of our markets where we’re challenged attendance wise. You get into a situation in Atlanta or Florida that are fighting for a playoff spot, actually generating interest and people are following their teams in the standings and then close their doors for 2 ½ weeks and say, ‘Thanks for your patronage but come back in 2 ½ weeks.’ Another business in the world would win some award for imbecility.

“But we do it. Why do we do it? They say, ‘Oh, look at the match-up: Canada-U.S. This is marvelous.’ Well, what match-up did we have in Torino? What juice did we get out of Nagano? Nothing. We didn’t sell one ticket in Nagano. No one cared about that tournament. You can’t take what happens here.

“CTV and NBC are smiling like the cat who swallowed the canary. All you folks are here. Everyone’s interested. Well, if Team Canada and Team USA had press conferences in Torino, you could’ve counted the number of people who showed up on your thumbs. So it’s not that simple that we should go. From a business perspective, it does not make sense for us.”

WHISTLER, British Columbia — A party at US Ski Team house to celebrate another historic day for the U.S. nordic combined team had been going for a couple of hours Thursday night. Speeches had been made, medals shown off, ovations given, toasts offered.

Late in the party, Steamboat’s triple silver medalist Johnny Spillane grabbed the microphone and asked the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to his wife. A few minutes later, newly crowned Olympic champion Bill Demong — the first Olympic champion in any nordic sport for the U.S. — grabbed the microphone, called his girlfriend to the stage, got down on one knee and asked her to marry him.

Demong won again — Katie Koczynski said yes.

“The most cheeseball thing ever,” Demong would say later.

Of course it wasn’t that at all. It was a wonderful moment, one none of us privileged to see it will ever forget.

Demong received another high honor: Moments before popping the question, Demong learned he had been selected by his fellow US Olympians to be flag bearer at the closing ceremonies. It overstates the obvious to say it is an honor well deserved, but it couldn’t happen to a more deserving guy.

Demong will be the first skier to bear the US flag at the closing ceremonies since Phil Mahre in 1984.

Russia kinda showed up against Canada on Wednesday. Enough for a 7-3 rout. (Bruce Bennett, AFP/Getty)

VANCOUVER — Ever go on one of those dream dates with the most beautiful woman you’ve ever met? Then it turns out she’s a narcissistic, insulting whiner with a nasty habit of golddigging? You go home feeling totally cheated.

That’s how I felt last night when I left the Russia-Canada hockey game — after the first period.

Ever since I first arrived in Vancouver last month for pre-Olympic stories, the whole city talked about the hockey showdown with the Russians. It would mean the gold medal. It would mean global hockey supremacy. It would mean revenge after eight straight defeats. Hockey insiders told me Russia had the better team and had the best player in Alexander Ovechkin but the rabid crowd would lift Canada.

It sounded like the perfect storm for one of those dream sporting events you seek out during your life as a sports fan or sportswriter. So I got a ticket for the game. It was in the quarter-finals but the intensity wouldn’t be any less. By midway through the second period, it had all the intensity of an American Hockey League exhibition game.

Russia stunk. The goalie couldn’t stop a beach ball. Ovechkin was just another player. I had to actually look for his No. 8 to make sure he was on the roster. Canada led 3-0 after 13 minutes and 6-1 after 24 before winning 7-3. I don’t know much about hockey, but this was one of the worst performances by a “great” team I’ve ever seen and one of the most disappointing big sporting events I’ve ever witnessed.

The only thing matching it was watching the Cuba-U.S. gold medal baseball game in Sydney 10 years ago. “Mighty” Cuba played lethargic, looked old and played awful. It wasn’t close. I walked away the same as I do after watching “Seinfeld.” What’s the big deal? This was not entertainment.

For wasting 20 minutes of my life that I will never EVER get back, here’s hoping the Russian Olympic Committee is met at the Moscow airport by four burly men in black trench coats and fedoras. Chubby index fingers and frowns then motion them into a black limousine and they enjoy a history lesson on discipline in the old Soviet Union.

U.S. skier Julia Mancuso speeds down the course during the Women's super-G, at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010. (AP Photo/Charlie Krupa)

WHISTLER, British Columbia — Julia Mancuso posted a Facebook update regarding her relationship with Lindsey Vonn, after the tension between them came out Wednesday, claiming everyone else cares about it when the women involved don’t. She closed with the admonition: “Save the drama for your mama!”

That’s just not fair. Mancuso is the one who introduced the drama, not those of us here to write about Vonn, Mancuso and their teammates.

It was Mancuso who, three days before the Games began, let it be known she didn’t appreciate Vonn getting all the attention. It was Mancuso who, that day, told Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post: “The interesting thing about attention is … it’s really more about those who are paying the attention. So if you’re not paying attention to me, you’re just missing out. I’ve got a great story.”

It was Mancuso who complained about the “popularity contest” in a Sports Illustrated online story posted on the eve of the women’s giant slalom and added: “Our team is struggling, as a group. People are having a hard time reaching their potential because it’s such a struggle for attention. You come to meetings after races and it’s like it’s a bad day if Lindsey didn’t do well.”

Now, in the wake of the SI post, I did ask Vonn how she felt about Mancuso’s remarks. And she said: “It definitely has hurt me that she has said some negative things about me. All I can do is continue to support her, like I always have, and hope she reciprocates that.”

Silver medalist Julia Mancuso of the United States, right, talks to her teammate Lindsey Vonn after completing the women's super combined event, at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics on Feb. 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Breloer)

And because I wanted to be fair to Mancuso, I asked her what was bothering her regarding Vonn, a question she refused to answer. Then she went on Facebook, answered it (sort of) and accused others of creating “drama” where none exists.

Now, I don’t want to be accused of playing favorites. It’s my job as a Colorado skiing and Olympics writer to cover the US Ski Team, with an emphasis on skiers from Colorado. That’s what a local newspaper does. It covers its “locals,” and Vonn lives in Vail. Mancuso lives in California and Hawaii.

The second run of the giant slalom was postponed until tomorrow because of fog. Unless the race jury reverses itself, today’s first run stands and defending Olympic champion Julia Mancuso will begin 1.3 seconds behind tomorrow.

Meyer will be covering his 12th Olympic Games in Rio this summer. He has covered five World Alpine Ski Championships and more than 100 World Cup ski events. He is a member of the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame.

Jason Blevins covers tourism, mountain business, skiing and outdoor adventure sports for both the business and sports sections at The Denver Post, which he joined in 1997. He skis, pedals, paddles and occasionally boogies in the hills.

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About All Things Olympics

The All Things Olympics blog from The Denver Post covers the athletes, events and stories of the Olympic Games and Olympic sports, including the 2014 Sochi Olympics in Russia. Its writers — John Meyer, Jason Blevins and Mark Kiszla — will feature profiles, articles, analysis and personal reflection.